Sense Motive (Skill)
The Sense Motive skill focuses on second-guess people and pick up on subtle clues and inferences. It’s used to detect lies, convey and understand hidden signals and brief messages, and resist manipulation. It is common to negotiators and those who rely upon a keen understanding of human behavior. 'Sample Knowledge: '''Common tells; basic behavioral science; psychology. Detect Lie When someone tries to lie to you, your Detect Lie result opposes his Bluff/Deception result. Refer to the Bluff skill description to determine your Detect Lie check modifier, error range, and the effects of standard success or failure. 'Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''You gain a keen sense of the target. When making a Detect Lie check against the same target, your base error range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you fail a Detect Lie check against the same target (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''Nothing fishy is getting by you. You keep your current Detect Lie result for the next minute (without rolling). Further, you learn one thing the target fears, is protecting, or that otherwise motivates him (e.g. he’s brainwashed or otherwise not in control of his own actions). '''Error: '''You can’t get a read on the target. When making a Detect Lie check against the same target, your base error range increases by 2. This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you succeed with a Detect Lie check against the same target (whichever comes first). '''Critical Failure: '''You’ve oblivious. You may not attempt another Detect Lie check against the same target until the end of the current scene. Further, you incorrectly identify one thing the target fears, is protecting, or that otherwise motivates him. Innuendo You may use this check to convey or receive (and understand) a secret message. Conveying a message involves a combination of body language, doubletalk, hand signals, and your own personal code, and attaches the Hands-OnThis check requires the character to use both his hands. The character suffers a –4 penalty when he uses only one hand to make the check. tag to this skill check. In order for a message to be conveyed and understood, the character sending it and each character to receive it must make an Innuendo check against the same DC and with the same error range, as shown on Table 2.42: Innuendo Checks. With a successful Innuendo check to convey a message, every recipient with a successful Innuendo check understands the message. With failure, every recipient with a successful Innuendo check knows there was a message, but can’t make sense of it. Any potential recipient who fails his Innuendo check doesn’t notice there was a message at all. The GC may spend 1 or more action dice to prompt any NPC with line of sight to the conveying character (including hostile ones) to make an Innuendo check. With success against the DC, the NPC notices and understands the message. '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''Yes if communicating; no if receiving. '''Threat: '''You discover a rhythm with the others making the Innuendo check. You keep your current Innuendo check when interacting with the same character for the next minute (without rolling). '''Critical Success: '''You’re inside the others’ heads. You keep your current Innuendo check when interacting with the same character for the duration of the current scene (without rolling). '''Error: '''The message is lost in the translation, but comes out as another plausible — and humorous or distracting — statement (per the GC’s discretion). '''Critical Failure: '''The message is lost in the translation, but comes out as another plausible — and insulting — statement (per the GC’s discretion). Resist Manipulate When someone targets you with an opposed Manipulate skill check, or as part of a crowd with an opposed Networking skill check, your Resist Manipulate result opposes his check result. Refer to the relevant Manipulate skill check description for the effects of standard success or failure. '''Cooperative: '''No. '''Retry: '''No. '''Threat: '''You see the goading for what it is. Your error range with each “Resist” check decreases by 2 (minimum 1). This effect lasts until the end of the current scene, or until you succeed with one of these checks (whichever comes first). '''Critical Success: '''You’re impervious to the endless personal attacks. You keep your current Resist Manipulate result for the next minute (without rolling). Further, it applies to any “Resist” check you make during this period. '''Error: '''Something dark is growing within you, and one of your eyes has started to twitch. This result operates as if your opponent scored a threat. He may activate this threat as a critical success per the standard rules. '''Critical '''Failure: You’re a tower of rage. You suffer a –4 penalty with all “Resist” checks and your error range with each of these skill checks increases by 1 until the end of the current scene, or until you succeed with one of these checks (whichever comes first). Category:Skill Rules Category:Skill Checks